At the Door

After a brief chat with the Xiao Clan family and introducing them, the Lion father and daughter were directly arranged to become guest retainers of the Xiao Clan.

Two Dou Emperor- level Magical Beast could probably protect the Xiao Clan for a long time.

After talking with the Xiao Clan, he agreed to the family dinner that evening and to check on Xiao Yan's condition.

Lin Qing then brought Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin and the other girls to the Back Mountain of the Xiao Clan, to the graves of his parents.

Because Lin Qing's parents were buried in the family cemetery, and the family tombs were always maintained, there were no weeds around Lin Qing's parents' graves.

"Father, Mother, I'm back!"

"Your son is already Dou Zong, and I believe that in just a few years he will become Dou Emperor. In the future, your names will be known throughout the entire continent!"

"..."

Standing in front of the grave, Lin Qing rambled on about his experiences and changes over the years.

"Father, Mother, this is Xiao Yixian, Qing Lin..."

After a long while, Lin Qing introduced the people around him to them.

Afterwards, Lin Qing, along with Xiao Yi Xian Qing Lin, and Lin Qi, performed several deep bows and left the Back Mountain with the group.

Returning to the Small Courtyard where he used to live, the Small Courtyard was very tidy, clearly indicating that his uncle had been sending people to maintain it.

"Is this where my brother used to live?" Lin Qi asked curiously.

"Mmm!" Lin Qing's face showed a look of nostalgia.

Because there weren't enough rooms in the Small Courtyard, Lin Qing arranged for Lin Qi, Ling Qingzhu, Li Qingchan, and Xiao Yi Xian to stay in the Pocket World, leaving only Qing Lin to live with him. Cailin and Caidie said goodbye to him and returned to the Snake-People Tribe, and would meet him in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital later.

As for the Lion father and daughter, since they were hired as guest retainers of the Xiao Clan, they have been arranged by the Xiao Clan to live in a separate courtyard.

With Lin Qing's return, news of him quickly spread throughout Wutan City, and the matter was being discussed everywhere.

Meanwhile, in a magnificent room at the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City, a beautiful woman in a red robe was asking a question to her maid in a seductive, soft voice that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Are you sure that Lin Qing boy has returned?"

"Yes, Miss, it has been confirmed!" the maid replied, bowing her head.

"Alright! Send this letter to headquarters by express, and also prepare a gift. I'm going to visit the Xiao Clan tomorrow!" Upon hearing this, Yafei also put away her languid demeanor and said seriously.

"Yes."

After the maid left with the letter, Yafei smiled at an elderly man who had remained silent beside her:

"Uncle Guni, the Xiao Clan used to only produce a few geniuses, but now, with Master Lin's return, the Xiao Clan is probably unstoppable in the Jia Ma Empire! Dou Zong in his teens! Even if he's not a direct descendant of the Xiao Clan, with this blood relationship, the Xiao Clan can at least live peacefully under his protection for hundreds of years!"

At this point, Yafei couldn't help but feel envious. The gap between people can sometimes be greater than the gap between people and dogs. She was in her twenties, ten years older than the other person, and she was only Dou Zhe.

If she had that kind of strength and talent, she could easily control her own destiny!

Sitting beside her was an elderly man dressed in blue robes with a ruddy complexion. Although his blue robes appeared ordinary, they subtly shimmered with light.

Clearly, this clothing had been given some kind of special protection, and his ordinary old face held an undisguised arrogance.

On the old man's chest, instead of a gold star, there was something resembling a medicine cauldron. On the surface of the cauldron, two silver ripples shimmered with a noble radiance.

Clearly, he was a Second-Grade Alchemist, a fact he could be proud of in a city without Alchemist Guild or any other Alchemist.

However, this pride quickly vanished in the face of an absolute disparity in strength.

"Yeah! I heard he was Sixth-Grade Alchemist more than three years ago. I wonder if he's advanced to Seventh-Grade now. Sigh! I'm only second grade at my age. It's really infuriating to compare myself to others!"

Guni sighed with a wry smile.

Not only the leaders of the Mittel Auction House, but also other forces in Wutan City gave orders to send gifts and Visiting Card to the Xiao Clan.

That night, after having dinner with the Xiao Clan family, Lin Qing took Qing Lin directly back to the Small Courtyard.

"Brother, I'll go prepare hot water!" As soon as Qing Lin entered the house, she acted like a virtuous wife, running straight into the room to serve Lin Qing his bath.

"Go ahead!" Lin Qing nodded.

After Qing Lin entered the room.

"Dongdong!" A knocking sound came from outside Lin Qing's house.

Lin Qing scanned the group with his Soul Power and immediately recognized them as his uncle and cousin.

"It seems my uncle is indeed very anxious!"

Upon seeing the person approaching, Lin Qing chuckled and then called out to them.

"Enter!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan pushed open the door and entered the Small Courtyard.

"Qing'er!" Xiao Zhan greeted Lin Qing with a smile when he saw her sitting on the stone bench.

Xiao Yan, standing to the side, looked somewhat nervous.

Knowing that Lin Qing had something to do, Qing Lin obediently stopped after preparing the water and sat in the room to wait.

After Xiao Zhan and his son entered the courtyard, Xiao Zhan sat down opposite Lin Qing. Seeing his son's nervous expression, he couldn't help but say, "Yan'er, it's been quite a few years since you and your cousin have seen each other. Why don't you call him cousin?"

"Cousin!"

Although the way he addressed him was a bit awkward, they were indeed cousins he had known for many years, so Xiao Yan still managed to call out to them.

Although he didn't interact with Lin Qing much, his feelings for Lin Qing were somewhat complicated. This complexity included envy and jealousy, but ultimately, Lin Qing was still a family member he acknowledged. Moreover, Lin Qing hadn't offended him; on the contrary, she had advised him.

Before Lin Qing's talent was revealed, he was the leader of the Xiao Clan, the future and hope of the Xiao Clan.

That was arguably the happiest time of his life, but during that happiest time, Lin Qing prevented him from making a mistake.

Later, Lin Qing revealed his talent and became the number one person in the Xiao Clan, but unfortunately, Lin Qing left the Xiao Clan after only a few days.

He tried hard to catch up, but was overtaken one by one by familiar people around him.

In addition, cultivation was indeed somewhat tedious and boring. He had not experienced Nalan Yanran's annulment of the engagement or the changes in the Xiao Clan, and he was not the kind of person who devoted himself to cultivation. So naturally, he returned to his old life of working hard for three days and resting for two.

Unfortunately, after only a few months, his cultivation level began to decline. Even though he continued to cultivate diligently, his cultivation level remained stuck at the Third Stage of Dou Qi.

So he used to dislike Lin Qing, but after three years of setbacks and trials, he eventually grew a lot and realized that this was a world where the strong prey on the weak.

So when his father wanted Lin Qing to treat him, he was somewhat pleased. He also hoped that he could recover so that he could cultivate properly and then prove those who looked down on him wrong.